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Cane and Able
Book by Cheek, Stephen
396 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2008
76 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Cheek
3 books8 followersBorn in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in 1950, Stephen Cheek finished high school in 1968, later attended Mississippi State University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in landscape architecture. For sixteen years he was in private practice designing commercial and residential projects throughout Mississippi. In 1988, he joined his father’s highway construction firm.
He lives with his wife Sherrie in their turn of the century colonial style home in the downtown historic district of Kosciusko. His handiwork is seen in the home’s beautiful New Orleans style courtyard surrounded by an eight-foot brick wall. They have three grown children, Corey, Megan and Logan, all of whom live in Mississippi.
Cheek began writing when he was in a rock band during his high school years. He discretely kept a detailed diary of the band’s performances and years later when the band reunited, he picked up his pen again and resumed writing. In 2000 he astonished all of the band members with a copy of the journal. With their encouragement that he should write a REAL book, he decided to try his hand at it. At that time, he had already written one children’s book, a compilation of stories he had made up for his own children. That early book was Catfish Cowboy and Mr. Turtle.
“Cane and Able was easy to write. The cleaning up was what was so difficult; it took forever. I was told by someone to just write the story and not worry about the grammar. I did just that. When my wife finished editing it with her red ink pen (English teacher trait), I could hardly read the manuscript. I really thought I had done a good job. Now I know how terrible it was.”
Cheek has been a storyteller for the four and five year olds at First Baptist Church in Kosciusko for over twenty-five years. He loves working with children and plans to continue as long as he is able. With the Sunday school, he is carrying on a tradition begun by his mother when he was a youngster.
He states that his next novel, The Hunt, which will be out in late 2010, will be a true thriller.
He lives with his wife Sherrie in their turn of the century colonial style home in the downtown historic district of Kosciusko. His handiwork is seen in the home’s beautiful New Orleans style courtyard surrounded by an eight-foot brick wall. They have three grown children, Corey, Megan and Logan, all of whom live in Mississippi.
Cheek began writing when he was in a rock band during his high school years. He discretely kept a detailed diary of the band’s performances and years later when the band reunited, he picked up his pen again and resumed writing. In 2000 he astonished all of the band members with a copy of the journal. With their encouragement that he should write a REAL book, he decided to try his hand at it. At that time, he had already written one children’s book, a compilation of stories he had made up for his own children. That early book was Catfish Cowboy and Mr. Turtle.
“Cane and Able was easy to write. The cleaning up was what was so difficult; it took forever. I was told by someone to just write the story and not worry about the grammar. I did just that. When my wife finished editing it with her red ink pen (English teacher trait), I could hardly read the manuscript. I really thought I had done a good job. Now I know how terrible it was.”
Cheek has been a storyteller for the four and five year olds at First Baptist Church in Kosciusko for over twenty-five years. He loves working with children and plans to continue as long as he is able. With the Sunday school, he is carrying on a tradition begun by his mother when he was a youngster.
He states that his next novel, The Hunt, which will be out in late 2010, will be a true thriller.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 26, 2009
What do I say about this book? Hmmm..I guess I should admit that I didn't expect to like it nearly as much as I ended up liking it. I fell in love with the characters from the start- it's not very often you read a book where all of the characters are well formed- as in this book.
The story line, while reading the back of the book did peak my curiosity, didn't really due justice to the real story. The story is about so, so much more than what the description gives away. This is definitely one of those books that you can sit and think on for a long time.
Had I not met and talked to Mr. Cheek here on GR I might have let the book sit on a shelf for who knows how long. If that had happened I'd have regretted it when I finally did read it- this isn't to be missed. I'm not shamelessly plugging for Mr. Cheek- this is a seriously good book with so much to offer.
I'm still amazed at how well he formed not only the characters themselves, but the situations they were in, the conversations, the thoughts, everything. I'm excited to read another book in the future and I would love to see another book with these same charcters- maybe a prequel or sequel Mr. Cheek? :)
The book follows Justin and Able, the two main characters. Justin is Mr Cain's young son and Able is a trusted farmhand.
Their relationship is simple and complex at the same time and you feel like you're riding right along with them for the ride when you read their talks with each other. I felt so many emotions, strong emotions, bubbling up while reading, everything from wanting to just hug Able for being the kind of man he is to wanting to hurt Big Doug for the kind of man he is.
It's not just the main characters that get the emotions and thoughts going either- it's all the characters- every single one.
I sincerely hope people don't sleep on this- it's a great book and I don't think any review I write can do it justice to be honest. Hopefully, someone with better reviewing skills will come along soon and do a better job. I hope so for Mr. Cheek's sake and everyone else who may end up missing out on this treasure!
Thanks you so much Mr. Cheek, for recommending this. I don't normally put too much into an author recommending their own book because I assume they just want anyone and everyone to read it. That wasn't the case with you or this book at all. This is definitely a book I won't forget and I'm thrilled to have read it and been the first to "review" it (no matter my probably poor reviewing job!)
The story line, while reading the back of the book did peak my curiosity, didn't really due justice to the real story. The story is about so, so much more than what the description gives away. This is definitely one of those books that you can sit and think on for a long time.
Had I not met and talked to Mr. Cheek here on GR I might have let the book sit on a shelf for who knows how long. If that had happened I'd have regretted it when I finally did read it- this isn't to be missed. I'm not shamelessly plugging for Mr. Cheek- this is a seriously good book with so much to offer.
I'm still amazed at how well he formed not only the characters themselves, but the situations they were in, the conversations, the thoughts, everything. I'm excited to read another book in the future and I would love to see another book with these same charcters- maybe a prequel or sequel Mr. Cheek? :)
The book follows Justin and Able, the two main characters. Justin is Mr Cain's young son and Able is a trusted farmhand.
Their relationship is simple and complex at the same time and you feel like you're riding right along with them for the ride when you read their talks with each other. I felt so many emotions, strong emotions, bubbling up while reading, everything from wanting to just hug Able for being the kind of man he is to wanting to hurt Big Doug for the kind of man he is.
It's not just the main characters that get the emotions and thoughts going either- it's all the characters- every single one.
I sincerely hope people don't sleep on this- it's a great book and I don't think any review I write can do it justice to be honest. Hopefully, someone with better reviewing skills will come along soon and do a better job. I hope so for Mr. Cheek's sake and everyone else who may end up missing out on this treasure!
Thanks you so much Mr. Cheek, for recommending this. I don't normally put too much into an author recommending their own book because I assume they just want anyone and everyone to read it. That wasn't the case with you or this book at all. This is definitely a book I won't forget and I'm thrilled to have read it and been the first to "review" it (no matter my probably poor reviewing job!)
January 16, 2010
This book is full of likable characters and interesting relationships. Characters are clearly good or clearly evil. There really isn't too much in between. Even Pete who struggles with alcohol is clearly good. He's just gotten a bad lot in life.
I enjoyed reading this book as a story of good vs. evil. At the end of the day good wins out, but along the way evil has a few victories. Much of this novel is dialogue which makes it easy to read and flowing. What isn't dialogue is either story telling by the characters or story telling by the author. The author keeps the story moving with the same feel as telling the reader a story over a glass of lemonade. I must admit I was hoping for a little more at the end of the novel, but overall it was a good read. The relationships between the characters are deep and believable.
After reading the synopsis on the back of the book, I was surprised by the second half of the book. The book shifts from the story of a boy and his father's farm hand to a story of a brother trying to save his sister from an enraged pimp. While the two parts of the story connect, they are very different from one another. The first half describes pretty much the best day of a thirteen year old boys life and the second half of the book focuses on harsher topics.
Again, overall I found this book enjoyable and exciting (especially the last 50 pages), but at times I felt like I had read two different books instead of one.
I enjoyed reading this book as a story of good vs. evil. At the end of the day good wins out, but along the way evil has a few victories. Much of this novel is dialogue which makes it easy to read and flowing. What isn't dialogue is either story telling by the characters or story telling by the author. The author keeps the story moving with the same feel as telling the reader a story over a glass of lemonade. I must admit I was hoping for a little more at the end of the novel, but overall it was a good read. The relationships between the characters are deep and believable.
After reading the synopsis on the back of the book, I was surprised by the second half of the book. The book shifts from the story of a boy and his father's farm hand to a story of a brother trying to save his sister from an enraged pimp. While the two parts of the story connect, they are very different from one another. The first half describes pretty much the best day of a thirteen year old boys life and the second half of the book focuses on harsher topics.
Again, overall I found this book enjoyable and exciting (especially the last 50 pages), but at times I felt like I had read two different books instead of one.
January 18, 2010
2ND BOOK WON ON GOODREADS. Very Good Story. You become "attached" to the main characters quickly. The book is filled with dialog...so it stays fresh. I could hardly put the book down. Surprisingly enough, none of the main characters die. Most Authors love to kill off at least one of the "good guys."
That said, the book did need a bit of clarity...Many lesser characters die - and do so suddenly. The time period is a bit muddied. The book is deeply steeped in race issues, yet The Villian's race is not clear.
Overall, It was an entertaining book that I would recommend.
That said, the book did need a bit of clarity...Many lesser characters die - and do so suddenly. The time period is a bit muddied. The book is deeply steeped in race issues, yet The Villian's race is not clear.
Overall, It was an entertaining book that I would recommend.
January 24, 2010
Interesting story in some parts, but more violence than I could handle.
March 4, 2010
Won this on First Reads. I have mixed feelings about this book. It took me so long to read it due to my hectic work schedule, but I finally finished it. The character development was good; I felt like I knew Able and Justin. The characters were likeable in a sense that they were clear-cut. The good guys and villians were easy to distinguish. With that being said, I wasn't expecting all the violence that occurred. I kinda figured I was gonna read more of a To Kill a Mockingbird southern tale, but it was a pleasant surprise. Overall, it was decent.
April 6, 2010
Won this on first reads.
Very well described characters. Well written.
Very well described characters. Well written.
May 6, 2010
This was a really good read. The characters came alive and I became totally engrossed in Cheek's tale.
I would say a 4.5 star book!
This was a win from the Good Reads Contest page.
I would say a 4.5 star book!
This was a win from the Good Reads Contest page.
May 31, 2013
loved this
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews